A memorial service is a celebration of life and a spiritual practice of being together in grief. In Unitarian Universalist congregations, these services are developed by the family of the deceased and the presiding minister to specially honor the memory of the individual.
Memorials for members of the UU Church in Jamaica Plain and their close family are part of our work as a church and are free, except a sexton payment. Members are people who have officially met with the Minister and signed the Membership Book.
Memorials for extended family, or for people not connected to this congregation, require payment to the minister ($385), musician ($350), and sexton ($25/hr for a minimum of 3 hours). They also require a donation to cover the use of the building.
First Church recognizes that “family” is a diverse concept with no set definition, and we trust our members to understand their own families best. “Close family,” for this purpose, includes, but is not limited to, members’ spouses, domestic partners, parents, siblings, or children, and may include “chosen family” who are emotionally closer to the member than their relationship would immediately indicate. Members will be allowed to make this distinction in their times of grief.
We note that that our members are sometimes estranged from their families of origin for reasons related to religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity, and this policy is intended to privilege compassion and openness over rigid ideas of family.
